Harry Potter: The Lord Slytherin
by Gembleton108
Summary: A story which is rather different from most / all others which I have read on FanFiction. What if Harry went elsewhere after his time in limbo with Dumbledore? What if he met his parents? What if he was married... Includes: Harry P / Daphne G / Ginny W; Harry & Hermione are siblings; Weasley bashing; Slytherin Harry, Hermione Ginny & Susan; Time Travel; Soul Bond; Good Dumbledore
1. Chapter 1 - My Last Breath

**Chapter 1 – My Last Breath**

 **Salutations, readers. Before starting the story, there are a few things that need to mentioned.**

 **1) This is my first uploaded fanfiction. That may be evident in this story.**

 **2) I hate all of the Weasleys aside from the twins and Arthur, and am impartial toward Ginny. That will be evident in this story**

 **3) I hate Neville Longbottom. That will also be evident in this story.**

 **4) My favourite character is Luna Lovegood, followed closely by Severus Snape. That will be evident in this story.**

 **5) I am – as some people term us – a "Grammar Nazi" who uses the pure English language, not the American Dialect.**

 **6) I abhor stories under 150k words and have a preference for 5 – 10k chapters. That will be evident in this story.**

 **I am building this story from my own likes and dislikes. I may change it based on reviews / polls, but it's still my story. If you don't like it, then don't read it. I welcome constructive criticism and compliments. Insults are useless and are ignored.**

 ** _Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise belongs to J. K. Rowling and anyone else with rights to it, not me. In addition, I do not own the Evanescence songs from which I will be taking the titles for my chapters. They belong to them, I just like their songs._**

 **This story starts at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 35**

* * *

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love. By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart. If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say goodbye for the present."

Harry sighed. He knew what he'd have to do.

"I can't just leave them. Whatever it takes, I will help those people."

Albus Dumbledore smiled. He had made many mistakes in his life, and had ruined the lives of many others in the process, Harry's included. It lightened his mood to know that even after all the boy had been through, he was still capable of showing such love and nobility.

"In which case, I know two people who would rather like a chance to speak with you."

Harry looked up confusedly. _Who could possibly want to speak with me?_

Suddenly, two people appeared before him, smiling joyfully. Upon seeing their faces, his breath caught.

 _It's them,_ he thought, _I don't care how they're here – or where 'here' is, exactly – but it's them!_

No longer caring about anything that had just happened, Harry jumped up and dived onto his parents, giving them both a huge, highly emotional hug.

"You're here. You're actually here," he muttered.

"I'll leave you here. There is a clock on the wall over there; you have an hour. I will be just through that door." James nodded gratefully before turning back to his son.

"I almost can't believe it," Harry said a few minutes later, looking up with tears in his eyes. "All I've wanted my entire life was to see you. And now, I can."

"Oh Harry. You don't know how much we've wanted the same," replied his father. "Of course, time flows differently here, but it's still the same. We could have died yesterday, or two centuries ago, but we always wanted to be with you. We love you and your sister more than anything.

Harry froze.

"What did you just say?"

James regarded him curiously. "That we wanted to be with you forever."

"No after that."

"We love both you and your sister more than anything else," Lily responded.

Stunned, Harry managed to choke out the question, "I, I have a sister?"

Both James and Lily froze, staring at their son and wondering what happened between their deaths and his. Lily broke out of her shock first.

"What do you mean, Harry? We're talking about your twin sister, Hermione Lily Potter."

At this point, Harry doubted that he could have been any more surprised by anything, even if it turned out that Lord Voldemort was actually Dumbledore in disguise.

"Her- Hermione?"

"Yes. She is your twin sister. She inherited James' eyes and messy hair, as well as your grandmother's relatively light brown hair. She did have slightly large front teeth, and I could tell that she would be like me: ridiculously intelligent. Harry? What's wrong?"

By now, Harry was openly crying. _Hermione is my sister?_ Hermione _is my_ sister _? What happened? How did I not know of this? Why wasn't I told? Is it even true? Of course it is, my-_ our _parents said so. He had family left._ Living _family! WHY WASN'T HE TOLD?_

"HARRY!"

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice his parents' looks of concern and their attempts to get his attention.

"I, I know a girl who fits that description. Her name is H- Hermione Granger. She is in my year at Hogwarts, and is exactly how you just described my- my sister. Well, not the teeth. She got that corrected a while ago."

Lily looked at him worriedly.

"Granger? They don't by any chance live in Oxford? Do you know the names Oscar and Diana Granger?"

"Yes, to both of those." Harry replied, looking at her quizzically.

"Oh no. I knew them. They were horrible people, they hated all forms of magic and 'abnormality', just like my sister…" At this point she faltered, then fixed her eyes on Harry with a penetrating stare, but with more than a hint of worry in her eyes.

James then voiced her unspoken question.

"Harry. With whom did you grow up? Sirius refused to tell us, saying that it was your story, but said that it wasn't him or Remus. Was it the Bones family? Perhaps House Greengrass?"

Wondering how he was related to those families, Harry responded.

"I grew up with Aunt Petunia and Uncle V-"

"WHAT!" shouted Lily, practically screeching. "What _idiot_ put you with _them_? It was in our will to never let you go anywhere _near_ that family!"

"Dumbledore did," replied Harry, wondering exactly how screwed up his life was.

"That _bastard_! How _dare_ he! Not only did he put you with my 'sister,' but he even split you up! What kind of sick _monster_ does that?" Lily continued ranting and raving for the next fifteen minutes, to the point that she seemed to have forgotten that she had an audience.

"Uh, dad?" After the life that he had, the word felt so _foreign_ on his tongue.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Why did you ask about the Bones and Greengrass families?"

James was stunned.

"Dumbledore didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

He sighed; it looked like there was a lot that he needed to tell Harry. Looking up at the clock, he noted that they had another twenty-five minutes before Albus wanted to see them in the adjacent room.

"There was a night, a few months after you were born,"

Harry's breath caught, causing James to smile sadly.

"No, not _that_ night. There was no prophecy made on this one. Though it did involve Dumbledore. We had recently noticed something odd about your right forearm. There was a weird symbol on it. Don't worry, you weren't born a Death Eater. We called Albus, and he reported that he had earlier been contacted about the same by the parents of Miss Susan Bones, John and Charlotte. He looked at the symbol and cast a few detection charms, and reported that they were the same. Both apparently had six words – which Albus believed to be names – drawn into a dragon surrounded by a snake forming Celtic spirals. They also held a great degree of magic energy in them, with the signatures of three beings. One was yours, one was Miss Bones's and the last is one that Albus was sure that he had previously encountered, but could not identify. It was later revealed to be that of Miss Daphne Greengrass.

"After we found out who the signature belonged to, we held a meeting. It comprised of us and the young girls' parents, along with Madam Amelia Bones, as she was Susan's aunt, and Sirius, as he was your godfather and third cousin or something, as well as being Miss Greengrass's second cousin once removed, as our confidants and witnesses. After a great deal of analysis and diagnosis charms, among other tests, Albus had come to the conclusion that the three of you had, in fact, been Soul Bonded."

"Uh, what does that mean?"

"Have you ever heard the muggle phrase, 'Soul Mates?'"

"Yes," replied Harry, now dreading the outcome of this conversation.

"Well, congratulations, Prongslet! You're magically married and legally betrothed to two witches! God, I'm jealous."

At the last remark, Lily, who had stopped ranting about thirty seconds prior, hit James's arm while glaring at him, in response to which James grinned. Meanwhile, Harry sat beside them, mouth agape.

 _I'm_ married _! First I die, then I find out that my best friend is actually my sister, and now I'm married? To TWO witches! What the hell is wrong with my life? What immortal deity likes watching me squirm in torture?_

 _Hey! We're not that bad!_ Said a voice in his head

 _Yeah!_ Said a second

At those comments, Harry jumped in fright and reached for his now non-existent wand and looking around for the two unknown beings who were speaking to him.

"Who said that?"

 _Only us, your completely unimportant wives._ Responded the second voice

Harry thought that he recognised that voice from the D.A. and some of his classes, and that latest admission confirmed his suspicion.

 _Susan?_ He called

 _Yup! Hey Harry! Wow, your mind is a complete dump._ Replied the second voice, now identified to be Susan Bones.

 _What is going on? How can I- Oh._

 _Now he understands!_ Called the other voice.

 _Daphne?_

 _Who else? Millicent Bulstrode? Or maybe you were hoping for Parkinson?_

Harry shivered at the thought of potentially having been bound to either _Bulstrode_ or _Parkinson_ of all people.

Lily looked at her son with concern.

"Harry?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, mum. I was, uh, 'speaking' with Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones. It's a Soul Bond thing, I guess."

"Well, I-"

At that moment, Dumbledore chose to enter the room

"Ah. I hope that this is not too great an inconvenience, but we really must be off. The hour is nearly up" he said, gesturing to the clock which showed that they had been talking for forty-eight minutes.

"Dumbledore," snarled Lily, in such a cold manner that even Lucius Malfoy would turn tail and run. "What the hell have you done to my son and daughter's lives? Why did Harry not even know that he _had_ a sister until I just told him?"

Dumbledore sighed regretfully. He knew that the day would come when he would have to answer for his wrongdoings, he had simply hoped for a little more time first.

"I could not. Due to still unknown causes, during placement of the Fidelius Charm on your residence in Godric's Hollow, young Miss Potter was hidden in the same way as the house. Without the secret being given to them, no-one could know of Hermione's existence. Even after your deaths, I could not say that she was a member of House Potter. So, I put her with a pair of muggles, and confounded them and a few government officials to make them believe that she was, in fact, Hermione Granger, daughter of Oscar and Diana Granger and that she was born several months before Harry, so as to remove any kind of connection. I could have then removed the charm entirely around the start of Harry's first year, but suddenly removing a girl from the muggle world would cause too many issues. So, I simply left them as friends."

Lily was stunned. His whole explanation made complete sense, if he could prove that the Fidelius Charm had actually affected Hermione. Even Susan and Daphne, who were still listening in, agreed that it made sense.

"But, that aside, we must go back now, else my planning be for naught."

James's eyes narrowed.

"What plan would that be, Albus?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"I do not plan to send Harry back to where he came from just now, prior to dying."

This set the previously silent Harry into a rage.

" _What?_ You just said that I had to go back to save people! How can I save them if I am _dead_? What-"

Dumbledore cut him off with a sharp look.

"I did not say that I would not send you back to the world of the living, simply that I would not send you back to where you just came from. Too many people had died by then. I am planning to send you back in time."

Silence greeted his words. Everyone was too stunned to actually respond as their brains attempted to comprehend what he had just said.

"Using an obscure piece of magic which I obtained just prior to my demise, I can send six people back in time, to their younger bodies. Three of those people must be yourself and the two young witches currently listening in to this conversation." At that comment, Daphne and Susan both blushed, and Harry felt a strong force of embarrassment hit him over the bond. "The other three can be of your choosing. Remember, this can give people's bodies their souls from this present time, not just bring them back to life. But you can only choose three."

Instantly, Harry turned to his parents, to which both smiled sadly.

"Harry, we both love you greatly, but you don't need us as much as some others. At least, not physically. We both have portraits in the family vault. Retrieve them. Show them this memory, and they will be about as knowledgeable as we are. But think, you need guidance and protection from the living. Pick someone else, but still know that we will always love you and your sister, and will always be proud of you. Even if you started cleaning Voldemort's shoes, though, admittedly, not as much."

While he was heavily downtrodden, Harry understood their reasoning and thought of whom else he could bring, completely oblivious to the fact that his wives/betrothed/soul mates also had a choice in the matter, though they waited to see his decision before deciding to make any comments.

Suddenly, Harry was struck with inspiration.

"How do I pick?"

"Simply state so to the air around us."

"I choose to bring back Miss Hermione Lily Potter."

At those words, the air around him glowed a mystical blue, signalling the acceptance of his decision.

"Professor, can I bring back anyone, or just those with their bodies still relatively intact?"

"Anyone with a general outline of their body in existence, and living relatives also helps."

"So, would people buried by magical families count? Such as Potters, Black, Bones, Greengrasses, Dumbledores?" He asked, nodding to Albus with the last name and hoping that his tone disguised his true intent.

Albus Dumbledore regarded him curiously for a second, before nodding.

"Yes, all of the members born from those families in the last two-hundred years or so would be acceptable, my own included. Why do you ask?"

The girls in Harry's head agreed with his idea, and urged him to go along with it.

"In which case, I choose to bring back Albus and Ariana Dumbledore."

At the mention of those names, everyone's eyes widened, and Dumbledore gasped.

…

…

The air glowed blue, and Harry, Daphne, Susan and Dumbledore all felt a powerful magic pulling them away.

"Know that we will always love you, Harry!" called James, just as they disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2 - Bring Me To Life

**Chapter 2 - Bring Me To Life**

 **Thanks to god of all, LyokoDragon15, AmazinglyAwesome, KingPlotBunny, InfinityMask, lilyflower50, almightyironman, Cierpik and the anonymous reader for reviewing Chapter 1 (as well as anyone else who did after I last checked). I've always liked Albus Dumbledore, and to this day still do not see why so many authors seem to hate him. Sure, he screwed up Harry's life, but everyone makes mistakes. Plus, with the amount of good he did in his 100-and-something years of life, I think he has more right to make mistakes than many others. But, everyone's opinions are their own; I won't judge (too much).**

 **As for** ** _InfinityMask_** **'s question regarding Ariana, the answer will be revealed later on. As in, a** ** _lot_** **later on. For now, you'll have to settle on what little is revealed in this chapter. Alternatively, you could always suggest what I use as the reason later. My current thought isn't very refined.**

 **Now, I greatly dislike the idea that house elves cannot speak very well. Surely they would need to do so if they are to serve their house to the best of their ability? As such, they will all speak proper English/** ** _insert other language here_** **in my story. In cases such as Dobby, Kreacher and other canon elves, I will have them ordered to speak correctly so as to be canon-friendly and still follow my aforementioned declaration.**

 **Speech distinguishing:**

"Normal"

 _'_ _Telepathy/Soul bond speech'_

 _Normal thinking_ **–** **(May still be noticed by soul-bonded persons)**

 ** _Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise belongs to J. K. Rowling and anyone else with rights to it, not me. In addition, I do not own the Evanescence songs from which I will be taking the titles for my chapters. They belong to them, I just like their songs._**

* * *

After what Susan believed to be somewhere between thirty seconds and two days' worth of glowing surroundings and reliving her life backwards-

 _'_ _Brilliant counting there, Susan,'_ Daphne commented dryly.

 _'_ _Shut up! I can't exactly just look at a clock, can I? Even then, what good would it do? Unless you haven't already noticed, we're_ time travelling _!'_ Responded an irate Susan.

 _'_ _Uh, girls. I think that we may be arriving.'_

 _'_ _Why do you think that, Harry?'_ queried Susan.

 _'_ _Open your eyes.'_

Only when Harry mentioned it did Susan realise that her eyes had been closed. Upon opening them she noticed that she was back in her bedroom at Bones Manor, exactly as it was on her eleventh birthday.

 _'_ _Oh,'_ she responded softly, looking around at her surroundings, too stunned to speak.

 _'_ _Um, either my eyesight has gotten worse, or Professor Dumbledore just showed up on my Aunt and Uncle's lawn.'_ Stated a thoughtful Harry.

 _'_ _He probably wants to talk to you-_ us _about what just happened,'_ replied Daphne.

 _'_ _Good point.'_

 _'…'_

 _'…'_

 _'_ _Well?'_ asked Susan.

 _'_ _Well what?'_

 _'_ _Aren't you going to greet him?'_

 _'_ _Are you kidding? My Uncle would- Uh, nothing. Yeah, I'll go,'_ responded and incredibly nervous Harry, trying to think about anything other than what he was about to say. Unfortunately for Harry, consciously trying not to think about a particular topic tends to (figuratively) bring it closer to the front of one's mind, which makes it easier for others to find. The response to the revelation of Harry's life before he began attending Hogwarts drew shocked gasps from the two young witches connected to him.

Susan heard Harry sigh, but before she could say anything, he continued speaking. Speaking? _We need to find a better term for this._

 _'_ _Dumbledore's just come inside. Be quiet so I can hear him.'_

Susan didn't catch much – her and Daphne's thoughts surrounding Harry's life were overwhelming – but she heard Professor Dumbledore say something about leaving the Dursleys' house – may they burn – and then give Harry his Hogwarts acceptance letter

 _'_ _Susan.'_

 _'_ _Yes, Harry?'_

 _'_ _Professor Dumbledore said that he is going to Bones Manor to speak with you and your aunt, and I'm going to come too.'_

 _'_ _Okay. When will he be here?'_ she asked, already having guessed the answer. After a short pause, Harry replied.

 _'_ _In about thirty seconds.'_

 _'_ _Great. Well, I'll get auntie, and we'll meet you when you get here. Are you going to use the Floo?'_

 _'_ _Yeah.'_

 _'_ _Well, I'll see you in a minute. Hey, Daphne. Are you able to come over, too?'_ she asked with barely controlled hopefulness in her voice.

 _'_ _I don't think that my parents would approve.'_

 _'_ _Oh.'_

 _'_ _Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't come, they just won't like it when I do,'_ responded Daphne, trying to hide the mischief in her voice and failing miserably.

Susan practically sprinted to her aunt's study, noting that – whether or not it was her birthday – she would have to leave for work soon.

"Auntie!" she called.

"Susan! I'm surprised to see you awake this early. It's not even seven-thirty yet. Are you sure that you're alright?" responded Amelia Bones in a mischievous tone ridiculously similar to the one recently displayed by Daphne.

"I'm fine, but Professor Dumbledore is going to be here in a minute."

Amelia looked at her curiously, prompting Susan to sigh and roll her eyes.

"You'll know what it's about and how I know when they get here."

"'They?' Who is coming, Susan?"

"We are," responded the voice of Albus Dumbledore as he walked into the room, Harry stumbling behind him. "Apologies for not notifying you in advance, Madame Bones, but I believe that this revelation can explain why I did not – or, rather, could not – do so."

Amelia looked at the boy following Dumbledore before gasping in surprise.

"Is that- Harry! It's been so long since I last saw you! You were only, what, three months old?"

Harry gave a small smile, which Amelia returned before turning on Dumbledore.

"Have you finally seen sense, then? Is Mr. Potter finally going to remain with me?"

Dumbledore suddenly paled, as if fearing Harry's reaction, and what Madam Bones would make of said reaction.

"What do you mean, 'remain with me?' Professor, what am I missing?"

Amelia suddenly went red with anger and began shouting at Dumbledore.

"What! You mean that you never told him? Where has he been before now? Has he seen his family records at Gringotts or the Potter estate? Has he even _seen_ the Potter Mansion or Black Fortress?"

She would have continued her rant were it not for an unusual emotion that seemed to have entered the Headmaster's eyes. _What is that? Sadness? Reg- No, it can't be. Is that regret? Albus Dumbledore_ never _openly shows regret. What in the name of Merlin is going on here?_

"I will admit that I have made several large mistakes in my life, with the largest involving young Harry, here. Now, let me formally introduce you. Amelia, meet Harry Potter. Harry, meet Madam Amelia Bones, your godmother."

In the heat of the moment, Susan had forgotten that Harry was actually in the room with them. Looking at him, she could see a number of emotions; shock, confusion, joy and even fear were present.

"You're- I have- What?"

For the next five or so minutes, Madam Bones explained to Harry that she and his mother had been very close friends during their Hogwarts years, as well as after they had graduated.

"Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that we were even third cousins, or something," said Amelia after a moment of quiet contemplation.

This pulled Harry back to the physical world and out of his thoughts.

"What? But, I thought that my mother was muggleborn, and that the Bones family was entirely Pure-blooded until the last couple generations.

Amelia regarded him suspiciously and with a slight amount of shock, and Susan heard Harry mentally curse himself for revealing his knowledge on such a matter before they had explained it to her aunt properly.

"Wherever did you hear that? Your mother was a Pureblood witch, descended from the House of Black – like myself – on the side of the family opposite your father and Sirius Black."

Susan saw Harry's face go blank, and noticed that he was thinking about Sirius Black, though she could not get any details. While this connection of theirs seemed to allow them to read each-others thoughts, some things could be hidden. One thing that did get through, which made both her and Daphne gasp in shock, were the thoughts of 'Godfather' and 'alive,' both associated with the name 'Sirius Black.'

Obviously, the Headmaster knew the reason behind Harry's silence as he stepped in and picked up the conversation.

"Yes, well, we have come here regarding a matter which we spoke about three months after your niece, Mr. Potter and Miss Greengrass were born."

Amelia paled in recognition.

"I have already spoken to the three of them about it, and they appear to have taken it rather well. However, there is another, _much_ larger secret that we have come here with. Your niece already knows, and might be able to help explain some parts," said Dumbledore, quickly adding the last part when notice that Amelia was trying to remove Susan from the room.

"Very well, follow me to the library, and you can tell me there."

"Actually, we are waiting on one more," stated Susan, prompting another inquisitive look from her aunt.

"And who might that be?"

She heard her fireplace roar as the Floo system activated, and was answered by a voice similar to one which she had not heard in many years.

"Daphne Greengrass. It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Bones," said Daphne as she entered the room.

Amelia threw any semblance of formality out of the window, knowing that this was going to be a very enlightening – not to mention long and frustrating – conversation, and called for her house elf to bring some Firewhiskey for them.

"Alright, tell me. I know that the three of you know of this Soul Bond, but what else is there? What could be larger than that?"

Since none of them really wanted to be the one to say it, Daphne spoke up.

"Well, to us, we woke up this morning in 1998."

The four of them spent the next two hours and three bottles of Firewhiskey explaining what had happened and trying to convince Madam Bones that it was the truth, and that they hadn't just started the newest generation of Marauders, although that did give them a brilliant idea.

* * *

At what Harry believed to be around two hours into their conversation, Madam B- _Aunt Amelia_ , he corrected himself, excused herself to use the Floo, realising that she was late and would need to call the Ministry to say that she was taking the day off.

Upon her return, she began asking Professor Dumbledore some of the more technical questions: 'How did you come back?' 'How many casualties were there?' 'Was I alive at the end?'

Finally, Aunt Amelia asked the question that Harry had also been pondering for the last thirty minutes or so.

"How stable is their bond? Is it complete?"

The four of them listened eagerly to Professor Dumbledore's response.

"I cannot tell. It will require a rather complex ritual, and, at present, I know only of one place where we can perform it that is easily accessible."

At that announcement, Harry was suddenly filled with dread. He knew where they were going. "Grimmauld Place."

Dumbledore grimaced. "Indeed, Harry. We will be going to a residence of Harry's mother, grandmother and godfather: Number 12, Grimmauld Place – a property of House Black."

"But, what about Herm- the other's that are coming back?"

"Ah, yes. The way that this magic works allows some people to be transported back before the others. I arrived twenty minutes before the three of you did, and you woke up – I believe – four hours before Miss Gra- _Potter_ is due to arrive. As such, we have plenty of time. We can talk about them later." Dumbledore was clearly uncomfortable with the current topic, so Harry dropped it.

One set of instructions and a Floo journey later, Harry was falling out of the fireplace at Number 12 with the intention of writing the rest of their party into the ward system's whitelist.

"Who is entering the home of the noble House Black?"

Harry cringed. He knew that voice. Turning to his right, he spoke. "Hello, Kreacher. How have you been?"

The little elf, however, was persistent in gaining the information which he needed.

"Who are you?"

Harry sighed, wondering how to deal with him. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "My name is Harry Potter, last known descendant of House Black outside of the Malfoy and Lestrange families, and not currently in Azkaban."

"Master Harry is new Lord Black?"

"Er, I don't know. Maybe? I haven't checked. Plus, Sirius Black wasn't technically removed from his position, was he? Shouldn't he be Lord Black?"

At this, Kreacher scowled, muttering something that sounded like "dirty blood traitor scum" while walking away, before returning with a small box. "Will Mr. Potter make House Black great again?"

Harry found this to be the perfect opportunity to get the elf to begin liking him and – by extension – Sirius. "Yes, Kreacher. I will make House Black into a house worthy of its predecessors. I will make Lady Walburga proud."

At that declaration, Kreacher beamed – which completely terrified Harry – and gestured to the box in his hand.

"In this box is the Lord Black's ring. Only the Lord Black can wear it."

"Um, what happens if I am not Lord Black?" asked Harry, already guessing the answer.

Kreacher grinned. "You die."

"Is there any other way that I can check?"

"Command Kreacher to serve. Your magic will tell Kreacher if you are Lord or Heir Black."

"Uh, Kreacher, stand over there," commanded Harry while pointing to the floor a metre to his left.

"Kreacher will obey Heir Black," responded Kreacher, before carrying out his orders and moving to the designated point.

 _'Not to be rude, but what the hell are you doing, Harry? We've been waiting for fifteen minutes! How long does it take to find a very large book, likely labelled "Ward permissions?" Seriously!'_ called an irate Daphne. Strangely, he couldn't feel Susan as strongly as he had before. And, know that he thought about it, she felt… different, to himself and Daphne. It also felt like there was someone else present. Not unwelcome, but not known and accepted either. He would ask Dumbledore later.

 _'Well, I'm trying. I have to become Lord Black first, remember? Plus, where's Susan? I can't hear her as well.'_

He felt a sense of confusion come over Daphne. _'She's right here. We're comparing Hufflepuff to Slytherin.'_

 _'Oh'_

Shaking himself, Harry saw that Kreacher was standing before him holding out the box containing the rings and wearing a curious expression.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Kreacher. I sort of lost myself in my thoughts for a moment. What were you saying?"

Kreacher raised his eyebrows at being apologised to, but repeated himself as commanded. "Now that you know that you are the Heir Black, you must put on this ring to become the Lord of House Black."

"Um, what about Sirius? Why am _I_ the heir when _he_ should be? In fact, why not Draco Malfoy?"

Kreacher scowled. "Traitor Sirius rejected his house. Unless he accepts it again and leaves Azkaban, he cannot become Lord Black. Even then, traitor Sirius's will is still accepted as the will of the previous Heir Black. In it, you stand to inherit the title of Lord Black."

"Oh, okay. Well… alright."

Harry picked up the ring, looking at it critically. It was beautifully crafted, made of the finest silver and had the Black crest in the centre, with the house motto around it.

"Toujours pur," said Harry idly while staring at the ring.

 _Well, I might as well put it on._

He put the ring on.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and the house suddenly began fixing and cleaning itself. The old, damaged and dirty walls suddenly cleaned themselves, the furniture looked not a day old, and everything that could shine or sparkle shone or sparkled.

 _'When did you get so poetic, Potter?'_ asked Daphne with a mental sneer.

 _'Back to last names, Greengrass?'_

 _'Sorry,'_ responded Daphne sheepishly.

 _'No problem. Besides, I'm just a horrified – I'm simply better at hiding it.'_

Harry felt his magic surge, and envelope himself and the two witches in his mind, as well as another. It didn't seem to like Susan, though. _Regardless, I should probably allow them entry to Grimmauld Place._

 _'Damn right you should! Twenty minutes, Harry! Twenty minutes!'_

After receiving congratulations from Kreacher, Harry moved toward the study to modify the ward permissions. Opening the book, he was surprised to see the names of both Daphne and – to a lesser extent – Professor Dumbledore. He assumed that with Daphne it was to do with their bond, and Dumbledore had maybe been there before. However, Susan wasn't present on the list. Adding her name, he told himself that he would ask Dumbledore when he arrived in a minute.

As soon as Harry told Daphne that they could go through, he heard the Floo roar to life, signalling the arrival of the rest of their small group. He wandered back to the formal study just in time to see Professor Dumbledore leave the fireplace.

"Now then, Harry. Daphne has told me that you have just become Lord Black, correct?"

"Yes, professor."

"In which case, could you ask Kreacher to set up a ritual in one of the rooms while I describe it to him."

"Of course. Kreacher! I need you to listen to what Dumbledore says and perform the ritual _exactly_ as he describes it. Do so in the… large ritual chamber on the third floor."

Kreacher bowed. "Yes, Master Harry." He then apparated to the aforementioned room with Professor Dumbledore, leaving the rest to walk.

When they passed the mounted elf heads, everyone but Harry and – to his surprise – Susan looked on in horror, with Amelia even swearing under her breath.

On the way upstairs, Amelia looked around critically at all the dark artefacts on display and the gruesome pictures on the walls. "I guess there's a reason behind Black being called an evil house."

Harry smiled at her. "Yes, but I plan on making us into a regular 'dark' house, possibly even 'grey.' With our history, however, I doubt that we could ever become 'light.'"

Amelia raised an eyebrow at Harry's use of the words 'us' and 'we,' but – considering the fact that he was from the future – didn't comment and simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Upon reaching the large ritual chamber, they saw that everything was ready, and that Dumbledore was casually looking through the items contained within the adjacent storage room.

Having noticed the activity outside, Dumbledore turned and smiled at Harry. "Ah, Harry. Kreacher has just finished setting up the ritual. It is, if memory serves me correctly, exactly as I remember the last _successful_ ritual which I have witnessed."

"Er, 'successful,' sir?" queried Harry, slightly worried as to what could happen should the ritual be less than perfect.

Noticing his, Daphne's and Susan's slightly panicked expressions, Dumbledore chuckled. "Fear not, for I am confident that this will work perfectly."

"And, if it doesn't?" asked Daphne, as Susan still seemed too terrified to do anything.

"Then we will deal with it when we must. Worrying over this now will solve nothing. Now, the three of you need to sit in the triangle in the middle of the floor, one on each point. Then, drink the potion in the vial beside you. It will knock you unconscious for about ten minutes, but it should tell you a great deal about this bond while you are asleep. Are you ready?"

After all three nodded their assent – with Susan looking oddly distant, even for her – and drank their potion, they instantly felt drowsy and numb. Harry's last thoughts were of how much more effective these were than the potions that Madam Pomfrey had in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.

* * *

"STUPEFY!"

Albus Dumbledore and Amelia Bones hurried back into the room the find Harry and Daphne standing with their wands drawn over the unconscious form of Susan.

Drawing her wand, Amelia glared at the two. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you stun her?"

Staring defiantly back at her, Harry responded. "That's not Susan. Well, it is, but she's possessed. Also, we aren't bonded to her."

Dumbledore suddenly gasped. "Voldemort?"

Ignoring Madam Bones's flinch, Harry responded. "No. It felt, younger. _Newer_. Related to Voldemort? Definitely. Actually Voldemort? No."

Dumbledore looked troubled, and was about to speak before they suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream as Susan's body convulsed on the floor, before a ghostly form rose up out of her. Harry's stomach dropped. It was just like Voldemort and Quirrell in his first year. The only differences were that this wasn't Voldemort and that the host – Susan – was still alive. _I hope_.

The Spirit-Ghost-Susan-thing turned to them, and spoke in a ghastly voice – terrifyingly reminiscent of Voldemort's.

 _ **"Trust me when I say that you surprised me. I did not believe that I could fool you for this long. Alas, even the brightest stars must one day burn out."**_

After a second of what Albus believed to be contemplation, the entity simply disappeared.

"Well, that was interesting," said a more-than-slightly terrified Daphne Greengrass.

Suddenly, Albus's mind began functioning again. "Harry. You said that you are not bonded to Miss Bones."

"Yes, Professor. She felt, well, not right, I guess. Daphne believes that the ghost- _thing_ , whatever that was, had possessed her every time that you tested us, and that our earlier conversations were the product of very complex Legilimency."

"Interesting. And, if I may ask, who are you bonded to?"

"That's the problem, Professor. I don't know. She feels familiar, like I knew her last timeline. But I just can't place it."

* * *

 **A/N – Sorry about the cliffhanger (not really); it was just too good and opportunity to pass up. Try to guess who 'she' is. 'She' was mentioned at some previous point in the story: either in the story itself or in an author note. If you're really observant, you'll realise that I've actually already told you who it is. :P**


	3. Chapter 3 - Haunted

**_Chapter 3 – Haunted_**

 **Greetings, natives of Earth. I apologise for the extreme delay, but my wonderful parents decided that it would be a good idea for us to spend two weeks away on 'holiday' in and around Dartmoor (Devon, England, for those of you from elsewhere or if there's another one somewhere).** ** _Two weeks!_** **I was kept away from my wonderful desktop PC, and my laptop should have been scrapped years ago. Anyway, the story's here now. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapters and waited patiently (I hope) for this one.**

 **[WARNING: Pseudo-spoilers] I'm going to point out now that this isn't even going to be close to a happy story in many aspects. Family will be gained and lost. Presently, as much as I want to write about Ron's sad excuse for a brain ending up on a wall, I'm not going to be killing any Weasleys or anything. (Emphasis on the** ** _'Presently'_** **)** ** _However_** **, there will be arguments that will get out of hand, and some may never get resolved. I won't say anymore, but be warned: this stuff will happen. Also, this story doesn't focus on Harry. It focuses on Harry, Daphne and Ginny. Their bond and eventual marriage isn't Harry bonding to / marrying two witches. It's all three of them being bonded to each other and being married to each other. That means Ginny and Daphne too. Do remember, though, that I currently have no plans for this to become a lemons story. It might, but that would be in a long time. If the rating goes up within the next ten or so chapters, it will likely be because I've decided to take out some anger on a character whom I dislike.**

 **Also, my use of Latin in this will be like the Ancient Language from The Inheritance Cycle: a language which was bound to magic and used to channel it, but can be ignored in favour of solely intent-based magic. I might even add the anti-lying aspects of it. I mean, I could make things like Unbreakable Vows simply a promise made in Latin. Tell me what you think, I'm not entirely sure whether or not to implement this idea.**

 **Now, I'm certain that many of you will not like what happens in regard to the Doctors Granger, but it needed to happen.**

 **I also noticed several careless mistakes in the last chapters, the earlier of which I will update about 30 seconds after posting this one. So, by the time you read this, it should already be done.**

 ** _Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise belongs to J. K. Rowling and anyone else with rights to it, not me. In addition, I do not own the Evanescence songs from which I will be taking the titles for my chapters. They belong to them, I just like their songs._**

* * *

Just prior to Harry's arrival – but on the other side of England from Grimmauld Place – a nine-year-old, red-haired girl was waking up in her rather comfortable bed, unlike Mr. Potter had. It is said that people are generally very much at peace during their sleep, and that many of their problems seem insignificant immediately upon their awakening.

Ginevra Molly Weasley sat bolt upright in her bed, absolutely terrified. She moved to grab her wand, but stopped when she realised where she was. _The Burrow. How in Merlin's name did I end up at The_ Burrow _?_ From what she remembered, The Burrow had been burned down a while ago, and the last thing that she remembered doing was being cursed by Bellatrix Lestrange. _Maybe I was out for longer than I thought? Knowing Bellatrix and what she did to the Longbottoms, it's not surprising that she could knock me out for months._

Judging by the level of light, she believed the time to be around 4 in the morning, but then realised that she didn't even know what season it was. Jumping out of bed, she made to walk out of the door, only to stop and stare at her reflection in the mirror. _I'm nine. HOW THE BLOODY HELL AM I_ NINE _? I LOOK LIKE I DID JUST BEFORE RON STARTED HOGWARTS!_

Sitting down, she contemplated the ideas that a) she was hallucinating / still asleep, or b) had travelled back in time. _That's silly though, the only known temporal magic is involved in time-turners, and they don't work like this._

That opinion changed when she saw he calendar, promptly causing her to faint.

* * *

After waking several hours later – and ensuring that it was not, in fact, a dream – Ginny began to think about what was going on. If she had gone back in time, then she was alone. She was different. She had seen people die, seen _her family_ die, while everyone else was fine. She would go mad. Suddenly a thought came to her mind. _Fred._ Suddenly, she knew exactly what she had to do. She would never be alone. Her family would be whole again. Plus, she had Harry. He would understand everything. He always did. Well, except for that thing with the Horcruxes last year, but even then he was just looking out for her.

Her mind made up, Ginny snuck downstairs to the fireplace, intending to go the what was now the one place that she felt safe. Her only hope was that the wards in and around the property would recognise her even through this huge time-related mess.

* * *

"Interesting. And, if I may ask, who are you bonded to?"

"That's the problem, Professor. I don't know. She feels familiar, like I knew her last timeline. But I just can't place it."

Suddenly, the third floor fireplace roared to life, causing everyone – Susan aside – to jump and grab their wands, and Dumbledore and Daphne both brought up shields in case of an attack.

Moving past them, Harry looked around the door to check who had just come through the Floo. What he saw rendered him incapable of most kinds of coherent speech (or thought). He managed only one word.

"Ginny."

She looked at him, beamed and ran towards him. He didn't know how long they were standing there kissing for, but they were broken up by Dumbledore, who had a mixed look of shock and contemplation on his face, and Daphne, who looked furious. They both began blushing deeply, and Harry avoided eye contact with Daphne for the sake of both his health and their already troubled relationship.

"Miss Weasley. What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

Ginny gasped and began crying. "Headmaster. You're- you're alive."

"Am I to assume, then, that you are also from the future?"

"Wait, you know?"

Dumbledore chuckled at this. "Yes, my dear. In fact, I am the cause of it. Not that your slightly less-than-subtle statement about my health didn't suggest anything."

Ginny's blushed deepened and she raised an eyebrow at this declaration, to which the Professor suggested that they go back into the third floor family sitting room to continue the discussion and to allow Madam Bones to return to the ritual chamber to oversee Susan's condition.

"Now, we have just had a long conversation with Madam Bones about this, and I do not believe that any of us want to go through that again. Therefore, with your permission, I would like to use a modified version of Legilimency on you to share my memory of the event with you. Would you agree to this?"

"Um, okay."

"Alright. Just sit down. This will only take a few moments and won't hurt you."

A few seconds later, Dumbledore gasped and clutched his forehead like he had a headache. He spoke after several moments. "Mr. Potter, Miss Greengrass; I do believe that we have just found your part three."

His only response was a stunned silence from everyone but Ginny, who was looking at them all very confusedly, and Susan, who was still unconscious.

"What? What do you mean, 'part three?' What aren't you telling me?"

"Well, Miss Weasley, it would seem that your dates with Mr. Potter in the old time were actually caused by true love, and were not simply the results of teenage hormones and the like. The two of you, along with Miss Greengrass here, are magically connected. To what extent I cannot tell, as the last recorded bond involved Merlin himself, and even then that is really all that we know."

By this point, Ginny already been completely shocked. She was completely in love with Harry. They were magically stuck together, along with a Slytherin from Harry's year whom she knew to be nicer than most. While she had known – or at least suspected – for quite some time that she indeed loved Harry Potter, she was rather shocked by the slightly roundabout method of stating that she also loved or would love another girl. That would take some time to get used to. Thinking that the surprises were over, she let her guard down. That was a mistake.

"Due to the nature of these bonds, the three of you are magically married to one another, but – due to your ages – will be considered betrothed in all legal matters until Miss Greengrass reaches the age of 14, at which point at least two of your surnames will change – I am not yet sure which of you will change, however – and you may claim certain benefits within Hogwarts, such as the ability to, during certain hours of the day, enter each other's dorm rooms and, if necessary, house common rooms."

To say Ginny was stunned would be an understatement. She was now going to _marry_ her beloved Harry. She was completely overwhelmed by a feeling of pure joy.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Harry's shock gave way to happiness and then confusion. "But sir, if Ginny really is the third, then how come we can't communicate like Daphne and I can? And, how could you tell that she was one of us?"

"Ah. Now that is an interesting problem. However, I may be able to do something about that. As for how I knew that Miss Weasley was also bonded to you, I used several detection charms to see who the 'intruder' was. When I came up with a reading stating that yourself, Miss Weasley and Miss Greengrass were all in the same square foot, I had a few suspicions. In addition to this, Miss Weasley happens to possess excellent Occlumency skills, the likes of which I have only ever seen before in the minds – or mind – of yourself and Miss Greengrass.

"Now, if you don't mind, Miss Weasley, I'd like you to allow me access to your mind. Simply imagine that I am trustworthy and should be allowed in. In most people's minds, that would allow me access."

Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat, worried that something would go wrong again and ether the Headmaster of herself would get hurt like last time. Regardless, she braced herself and did as she was asked. "Okay, Professor. I'm ready."

"Legillimens."

Around a minute later, Dumbledore came out of his immobile state, and Ginny opened her eyes, both of them beaming. Dumbledore spoke first. "I do believe that I have solved your problem. It appears that the link between Ginny's magical core and her mind had been negatively affected by her recent duel with Bellatrix Lestrange. It seems that this was the reason for your current predicament, as after I resolved the issue she stated that she could 'feel' the two of you nearby. I have also given her a complete recollection of our earlier conversations today."

 _'Ginny?'_

 _'Harry? Is that you?'_

 _'I'd take a page out of Daphne's book and respond in with a very sarcastic and disturbing comment, by I don't think that it would be appreciated.'_

 _'No, it wouldn't. But, I'm really too happy to care right now.'_

 _'Greetings, Miss Wea- Ginny.'_

 _'Daphne?'_

 _'Damnit Harry! Now I can't say anything. Yes, I'm Daphne.'_

 _'It's a pleasure to meet you.'_

By this time, Dumbledore had decided that it would be a good idea to leave them alone, and so he walked off to see if there had been any improvements to Susan's condition.

Noticing this, Daphne brought a slightly more dangerous topic into their discussion.

 _'Really? I doubt that any of your other family members would say the same. In fact, I'm fairly certain that your youngest brother would sooner hold a tarantula than hold a pleasant conversation with someone like me. We are all dark and Voldemort supporters, as I'm sure you know.'_

Ginny dropped her gaze ashamedly. _'I know that most of my family are anti-Slytherin, but I never was. I mean, I hated Voldemort supporters, but never Slytherins in general. I- I've never had many friends, and, to be perfectly honest, I would love having more, from Slytherin or otherwise. I never really saw the point in the house system; it seems to serve only the purpose of driving people apart, not pushing them together.'_

 _'Then, what happens when your family realises what is going on between the three of us, and that I'm a Slytherin? Or, at the very least, the child of a Slytherin; I'm not sure if I'll go there this time.'_

Ginny looked into Daphne's eyes, a look of determination on her face. _'I don't care what they say. I'm staying with you and Harry, and they can't do anything about it, legally or otherwise.'_

That statement caused Harry to begin thinking. Firstly, Ginny just declared that she would abandon the Weasley family if they didn't agree with her wish to remain with the two of them. Secondly, she said that they couldn't legally do anything about it. _That_ interested him greatly.

 _'Wait, what do you mean, "legally or otherwise?" Not that I'm not ecstatic about what you just said, but they're your parents, surely you can't just ignore them? Don't they have legal power over you?'_

 _'You've never had a course in magical law, have you?'_ asked Daphne.

 _'Uh, no.'_

Both witches sighed exasperatedly, before Daphne responded.

 _'When an engagement is in place, unless it is specifically stated to be otherwise in a contract, the to-be husband can claim legal guardianship over the witch if she is underage, so long as the wizard is of age. Since you have become the head of House Black, that means that you can claim emancipation as the last surviving male member of your house outside of prison. If there were others, then they would become your guardian and house regent, but, since there aren't, then you can become your own guardian.'_

 _'Oh'_

 _'Think, Harry! You no longer have to go to the Dursleys! Plus, you don't have the trace on your wand anymore, meaning that you can perform magic outside of school.'_

 _'Okay,_ that _sounds brilliant.'_

Daphne then also spoke morosely. _'I fear that I will also have to take the same route. Even though my parents aren't really bad people, they're rather anti-Weasley, because your family tend to, uh… not think things through very much, and are an exemplar "Light" family. Then again, considering what you just told us, Ginny, they may end up liking you.'_

Ginny was completely shocked by that. _'Wait, you've practically just met us, and you would give up your family just to stay with us?'_

 _'Of course. Remember, we're bound by magic, love and all that. Plus, I've begun to really like the two of you. Well, Harry at least. We haven't really spoken much, Ginny.'_

Harry responded with fake joviality. _'Great! Now we're stuck mostly all alone, with no direct family members! I mean, we could stay in one of m- our properties or with Aunt Amelia, but both could get awkward.'_

 _'Or Sirius,'_ suggested Ginny, thinking about Harry's godfather and one of her close friends.

Harry cursed. He had completely forgotten about Sirius. _'Sorry to cut this short, but I need to speak with Madam Bones immediately.'_

 _'Go ahead, Harry, Daphne and I have some things to talk about anyway.'_

Getting up, Harry practically sprinted to the ritual chamber down the corridor.

"Aunt Amelia! I have something very important to tell you."

"Oh?"

"It's about Sirius Black."

He saw Dumbledore smile supportively at him before he left the room. Amelia stiffened, wondering exactly what Harry Potter had to do with a murderer.

"What about him?"

"This may come us a shock, and I'm sure that I will be receiving a scolding from Daphne regarding my terrible delivery of this next statement, but he's innocent."

"He's _what?_ "

"He didn't betray my parents. Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper, and is an illegal animagus, a rat to be precise. He killed those Muggles, and cut off his own finger before escaping."

Amelia was, as Harry guessed, shocked. "You mean to say that Sirius Black has been in Azkaban for the past nine years without having actually done anything wrong? What about his trial? Why wasn't this recorded?"

"He didn't _have_ a trial."

" _What!?_ "

"Minister Bagnold and Director Crouch ignored all official procedure, and sent him to Azkaban nearly immediately after his capture. In our time, he escaped during my third year at Hogwarts, where he explained this to us. We helped him evade the Dementors and escape the country. He later aided Dumbledore's Order Of The Phoenix fight against Voldemort. He… he died in the Ministry during my fifth year, having been stunned by Bellatrix Lestrange and falling through The Veil."

Madam Bones was furious with her predecessor and the previous minister. "Well, when I get back to the Ministry later today, I'll start work on getting a trial for him. Wait, did you just say he _escaped_?"

"Yeah. He's also an animagus, as was my father. He was a large dog who greatly resembles a grim. Dementors don't affect animagi in their animal form, so he managed to slip through the bars of his cell and escape. I met him during the Summer before third year, but didn't know who he was until near the end of that year. As it turns out, Sirius was- _is_ my godfather."

Amelia sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes, before reaching a decision. "Harry, would you be able to watch Susan or ask Dumbledore to?"

"Sure, why?"

"I'm going to the Ministry to get a trial for Sirius. As Head of the DMLE and your godmother, I have the right to do so. If I'm lucky, I'll have everything put through by tomorrow afternoon, and he'll have a trial within a week. Naturally, it won't be nearly that easy, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't start now."

Harry smiled and nodded, tears of joy threatening to spill. After Amelia left, he levitated Susan and left to find Dumbledore, Daphne and Ginny. After entering the room and placing Susan on one of the armchairs, he noticed Ginny looking at him in shock.

"You're- _We're_ related to Hermione? She's your sister?"

Harry nodded, and was, yet again, engulfed in a hug. "You, you brought her back with us, right?"

Harry smiled. "We did."

Professor Dumbledore then cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Well, now that we are back to the topic of people who we are bringing back, I have several questions for you and Miss Greengrass."

Harry and Daphne knew exactly what this was about, and they sent the memory to Ginny when she enquired.

"I can understand why you would choose to bring back Miss Potter and myself, but why my sister?"

Harry and Daphne suddenly both looked like deer caught in headlights, rapidly firing questions and accusations between the two of them and giving Ginny the beginning of a headache in the process. Due to their concentration on one another and nothing else, Ginny responded for them.

"Uh, Professor. I don't think they know why."

The Headmaster was clearly surprised by this answer. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. They're simply asking each other about it and trying to shift responsibility." She paused for a few seconds, before continuing, "Actually, now they believe that Susan told them to."

That worried the Headmaster, and after a moment of thought she knew why. At the time, Susan had been possessed, meaning that her reasons for suggesting Ariana Dumbledore.

"Oh," was the Headmaster's only response. Shaking himself, the Headmaster began speaking. "Well, we can discuss that another time. I do believe that Miss Potter should be waking up in about 15 minutes. We should leave for Oxford soon."

"Okay, Professor. By the way, did we just come back in time? Because dad used to talk about Muggle ideas like jumping between universes, and stuff. Will things that we don't change stay the same?"

"Good question. Were we in school, that would have earned you 25 house points. We have – to the extent of my knowledge – simply travelled back in time. However, that doesn't mean that things won't change in an odd manner. Temporal magic is very delicate, and sending this many people this far into the past can be very dangerous. So don't expect everything to be exactly the same as it was last time. Now, if that is all, we should really be going."

"Yes sir. Wait, what about Susan?"

"Hmm, that could pose a problem."

Having stopped arguing by this point, Harry had an idea. "I know. Kreacher!"

The old elf appeared with a quiet 'pop.' "What does Master Harry require?"

"I need you to watch Susan while we're away, and if something goes… wrong, then please find either one of us or Amelia Bones."

"As Master Harry wishes."

Gesturing for them to follow him, Dumbledore lead the way downstairs and outside, apparating them to the front door of the Granger residence after they crossed the ward boundary.

* * *

Hermione was heartbroken. She'd just woken up in her house in Oxford at around midday – it looked as though she'd fallen asleep reading – and was in the process of going through the same crisis as Ginny Weasley had earlier that day. She had then remembered something happening a few months prior that hadn't happened last time. Her parents forbade her from going to Hogwarts. After waking up, she sprinted downstairs and ran out the door, intending to apparate to Surrey to visit Harry, laws of time and memories be damned. Opening the front door, she – quite literally – ran into Professor Dumbledore.

She gasped. "Professor! What are you doing here?" She cursed herself, realising that she wasn't supposed to know who he was. Then, she saw who was following the Headmaster: Ginny, Daphne Greengrass – whom she knew from Arithmancy and Ancient Runes class – and Harry. "Harry! Ginny!"

She ran forward and hugged Ginny, then let go of her and hugged Harry, nearly choking the life out of both of them.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I believe that Miss Potter has already arrived."

At that, Hermione let go of Harry, and stared at the Headmaster in confusion. "What do you mean, 'already arrived?' And, did you just call me 'Miss Potter?' What is going on?"

"Maybe we should speak inside?" suggested Dumbledore while gesturing to her house. Instantly, Hermione's mood darkened.

"No. Let's go elsewhere. Anywhere, really. Just, not there. Maybe the park nearby?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow questioningly, but nodded his consent. Upon arrival, he cast silencing and Notice-Me-Not charms around the bench which they sat on.

Ginny began explaining. "Well, the four of us have also come back in time, as has Susan Bones. Professor Dumbledore used some old form of magic to send us back after we had all died. As for you being Miss Potter, well… I think that's Harry's story."

Slightly shocked, Hermione looked expectantly towards Harry, who sighed and took out a piece of parchment. "When I died, I saw my parents. I explained to them what was going on, and they told me something that shocked me for a long time afterward. Still is, in fact. Here, I got this from the Ministry just before coming here." With that, he handed her the piece of parchment.

 **-** ** _Ministry Of Magic -_**

 _Record Of Citizenship_

 _Hermione Lily Potter_

 _31_ _st_ _July, 1980_

 _Nationality:_

 _British_

 _Daughter of:_

 _James W. Potter and Lily V. Potter (born Lyra C. Black)_

 _Siblings (At time of birth):_

 _None_

 _Siblings (After time of birth):_

 _Harry James Potter (Brother – 57 second age difference)_

 _Godchild of:_

 _Sirius O. Black_

 _Amelia C. Bones_

 _Severus A. Snape_

To say that Hermione was shocked would be a huge understatement. The boy who she had always seen as the younger brother she never had, _actually_ turned out to be her younger brother. Even if it was by just under a minute. And it was legally true, written on a self-updating piece of Ministry parchment.

"Oh."

Daphne and Ginny burst out in laughter at the dumbfounded look on her face, while Harry and Dumbledore struggled to contain a smile, failing miserably.

"So, I'm… My parents… What?"

That just caused everyone to laugh even harder, Dumbledore included. This caused Hermione to snap out of her stupor and pay attention to what was going on. Turning to Harry, she spoke. "So, we're twins?"

Harry nodded as his laughter finally died down., being replaced by an overjoyed grin.

"How did I not know this?"

Dumbledore spoke up for the first time in about 20 minutes. "Ah, that would be my doing. I had the same reasoning as I did when I put Harry with the Dursleys, both actions I now deeply regret. You see, at the time there had been many Death Eater attacks. Considering that Sirius Black had just been arrested for your parents' murders, I didn't know who I could trust. And, I rather doubt that I would ever make a good parent. As such, I sent you to live with Muggles. I changed your birthday so that there would be as little connection between you and the prophecy as possible. Even though the prophecy refers to a male, using the words 'he' and 'him,' I did not want to take any chances.

"After everything was over, I would have put you together, had it not been for the fuss that Muggles make over a child going missing. Being Muggle-raised, I'm sure that you understand what I'm talking about. I did not tell you at school either, as it would only make separating you even harder. I deeply apologise for that, but at the time it seemed like the safest option. I hope that one day you will forgive me."

Looking over at Harry questioningly and getting a nod and light smile in response, she turned back to the morose headmaster. "You're forgiven."

Dumbledore looked up, surprise evident in his features. Clearly, he had expected anger, sadness or even hate, but not forgiveness.

"You were trying to help. Plus, I likely would have done the same thing in your position. So, you're forgiven. Harry agrees."

Receiving a smile and nod from Harry, Dumbledore finally began to smile again. "Thank you."

Looking at the parchment in her hands again, her eyes widened at the last name. "Uh, Harry. Look at the list of my Godparents."

Taking a look at the list, Harry paled. "Oh. Well, uh… shit."

Daphne rolled her eyes at Harry's swearing, while Ginny giggled and Hermione began lecturing him. When she was done, Harry continued. "I knew that Mum and Snivel- uh, _Professor_ _Snape_ ," he amended upon he saw Hermione's glare, "were close, but that's just ridiculous."

Dumbledore answered his unspoken question. "Near the end of your mother's life, Professor Snape spoke with her. He revealed everything that he did, and apologised for everything. Your mother forgave him, as was her nature. And, though he hadn't forgiven himself, he conceded to her wish and swore to protect you and take the role of your Godfather. And he did. Though he wasn't always very kind to you during your years at school, he always protected you from Voldemort and his followers. I presume that his hatred of himself and his own actions are what caused his bitterness towards you, and his hatred of your father and the Marauders caused his bias against Gryffindor."

"Oh." They sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes.

With that topic closed, Harry turned back to Hermione. "Now, I need to know something. When we saw you leaving your house, you looked like you had been crying. Why?"

Her happy expression immediately disappeared, and she began explaining what had happened. How her parents didn't want her in a place so dangerous, when she could barely keep herself safe and under control at home. How she had social difficulty, and that being somewhere like that would be terrible for her. When Professor McGonagall had explained that people always got along there, or at least made a couple of close friends, and joked lightly about broom cupboards, her parents' expressions had darkened, and they began hurling dark and hurtful words at the school, the teachers, students and – by extension – her.

"I want to go to Hogwarts. I don't care what they say. I'm eighteen for Heaven's sake. And I'm a witch. I don't want to stay at home."

Outraged by what he had just heard about her par- _adoptive_ parents, Harry responded. "Well, you don't have to. I, Harry James Potter, Head Of House Black and Heir Of House Potter, do hereby claim guardianship of Hermione Lily Potter, as is my right."

When he finished, Harry and Hermione both glowed slightly, before Harry blinked rapidly and acted as though he had just woken up. "Uh, I'm not entirely sure how I knew to do that."

Suddenly, a Ministry owl flew to him, dropped the letter that it was holding in its talons, and flew away. Opening the letter, Harry looked both stunned that he had just done what he had, and very impressed with the efficiency of the Ministry regarding letters. They waited patiently for him to read it.

"Well, it worked," said Harry, showing everyone the letter. Turning to Hermione and grinning, he continued. "Hermione, I give you permission to attend Hogwarts."

Taking the letter, she, too, was shocked.

 _Dear Lord Potter,_

 _The British Ministry – and, by extension, the International Confederation Of Wizards – is pleased to announce that your request for guardianship of your sister, Lady Hermione Potter, has been approved in conjunction with your lordship-induced emancipation._

 _Wishing you the best,_

 _G. Embleton_

 _ICW Ambassador to the British Empire; Irish Wizengamot (Chief Warlock); Order Of Merlin, Second Class; Lord Of House Embleton; British Ministerial Administration (Overseer via ICW);_

She beamed and hugged him again. With that dealt with, she asked a question that had been on her mind since they had arrived. "Miss Greengrass. Not that it isn't pleasant to see you, but why are you here?"

One soul-related explanation later, and Hermione was gaping while looking between Harry, Daphne and Ginny. "But, I thought that Soul Bonds were a myth! The only known one involved Merlin, and no one even knows who he was bonded to. How did you- actually, don't answer that. Harry's involved; it makes sense."

They all laughed at that, except for Harry who huffed with mock indignation, before giving in and smiling.

A while later, she began worrying again. "Uh, Harry? What are we going to do about my parents? I don't really want to leave them, but I'm certainly not willing to leave you three either. Goodness knows if I did that you'd be dead – again – within a week."

Daphne snorted in a rather unladylike manner. "Hah! If either of them or you try anything stupid, you'll have to answer to me. True or not, I heard the stories about what you got up to last time."

Harry smiled reminiscently at Daphne's comment, before turning back to Hermione. "Well, we go to your house, and try convincing them to _willingly_ let you go to Hogwarts. If not, then we can simply use the fact that I am now your guardian, and leave."

Hermione nodded sadly. "I'd prefer the first option, but I won't hesitate to leave them if they disagree. As much as I love them, I won't let them take this away from me."

Harry smiled supportively. "Well, should we do this now?"

"I guess we should. Who will be coming with us?"

Looking at Dumbledore for confirmation, Harry responded. "Maybe it should be just us. I think that it would be easier that way."

"Okay."

Dumbledore then spoke. "We'll remain here. When everything is over, come back here, and we will return to Number 12."

"Yes, sir," chorused Harry and Hermione.

Walking away, Hermione chuckled lightly. "I suppose that I shouldn't really be surprised about all this; this is you we're talking about, after all."

"Yeah. Then again, weird things happen to you a lot, as well."

She shrugged. "It's the Potter influence; it does bizarre things to people. You- _we_ probably have really odd minds compared to others."

Harry thought for a moment. "Actually, it's probably more the Black side of the family. You know, with the inbreeding and all that."

"Good point."

Finally reaching the Granger residence, Hermione to a deep breath, and opened the door. Today was one of the few days that the Grangers had off work, so sounds could be heard coming from the living room.

Steeling herself, Hermione called to them as they walked towards the room. "Mum! Dad! I'm back!"

Turning to face her, her parents smiled. "Hermione! Where were… And who might you be, young man?" Her father spoke, his expression and voice getting colder as he saw Harry follow behind her.

Smiling politely, Harry introduced himself. "Greetings. My name is Lord Harry James Potter, Head of House Black and House Potter, and younger brother of Hermione Lily Potter."

At that, both Grangers paled, before Mr. Granger stood up and began shouting. "Get out! Get out this instant! I will not allow any more magical folk anywhere near this house, not after… Just, get out!"

At that, Hermione looked as though she might cry, and Harry's expression turned so dark that both dentists flinched, unconsciously stepping back.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Harry in a voice so low and deathly cold that Hermione wondered if he was speaking Parseltongue.

"I told you to get out! Your kind took my parents, uncle, cousins and brother from me, and they weren't even magical! I will not permit any of your freakish kind anywhere near my family, and neither will she be going to that school! Now get out!"

It looked as though Harry might have calmed down, had Hermione's father not used the word 'freakish.' From what she knew, that was what Harry's horrible relatives called him, and this was not going to end well.

" _Silencio. Incarcero_ _us_. Now that I have your attention, I would like to make one thing very clear. Hermione _is a witch_. She is not a Muggle; she is not a squib. She is a Pureblooded witch, of Nobility, no less. And, she _will_ be attending Hogwarts. Of that, I am certain. Take a look at this," he said, showing them her citizenship record. "Now, read this," he continued, showing them the more recent letter from the Ministry. At that, they both paled further, and Mr. Granger began silently shouting, while Mrs. Granger simply looked up apologetically and began crying.

Undoing his previous spells, Harry spoke one last time. "You know, I used to be insanely jealous of Hermione. She had a family. She had parents who looked after her, while mine were all dead. Now, however, I think I'm better off like this." He looked Mr. Granger in the eye. "You remind me of my Uncle. He used to call me 'freak' too, when I used to live with him. Then he and the whale with legs that I call my cousin used to beat me until there was a risk of me dying. They were Muggles, just like you, with your precious democracy and perfect justice system and laws. Well, I don't see any further reason to remain here. Come on, Hermione. I've already asked Kreacher to take your things to Grimmauld."

Sparing one last betrayed look at her parents, Hermione turned and followed Harry out. She thought she heard her mother sobbing and berating her father, but ignored it. They made her choose between them and the Magical world; of course she would leave them. She may not be happy about it, but that was where she belonged. With magic, and with Harry, Ginny and now Daphne. With Sirius, and even Professor Snape. _My family._

Walking out the front door, she though she heard someone get slapped behind her, and stopped, turning around. Even Harry looked curious. A few seconds later, she saw her m- _Mrs. Granger_ stumble towards her. Mrs. Granger looked ashamedly at them, before whispering. "We need to go. I hope that you have a portkey; I never liked apparition."

Both Harry and Hermione looked at her, completely shocked. "You, you know about portkeys?" mumbled Hermione.

Mrs. Granger smiled. "Yes. You're looking at Diana Granger, the first squib born to House Black in around three-hundred years. Naturally, my dear third cousin, once removed, Walburga Black, had me burned off the family tree and expelled."

"You're a Black? But, you said that magic was bad, and that…"

"I did, but I didn't want to."

Both of them stared at her confusedly.

"Oscar hates magic, not me. Like he said, he lost many family members to magic, but that's not his man reason. Regardless, we need to leave, _now_ , before he either shoots you or calls the police to report a kidnapping."

They wasted no time in hurrying back to Dumbledore, choosing simply to say "We'll explain when we get back."

The last thing they heard before portkeying away was the distinctive sound of a gun firing.

* * *

 **I hope that the Hermione scene didn't go too badly. I know that a lot of people like making the Grangers into brilliant people, but I felt that this would work better. This is a Family story. A lot of it will be about them ('them' being the time travellers) trying to fix everything, themselves included. Remember, they're going through everything** ** _again_** **. This time, however, they are simply going to trust only themselves and a select few others, trying to build a family for themselves, something that Harry didn't have, Ginny had awkwardly and that [SPOILER] Daphne had trouble with. [END] Even though Hermione had a family (sort of), she never had many friends. Dumbledore lost his father, mother and sister when he was young, and estranged his brother in the process. Susan is, well, a** ** _different_** **case, but still has her part to play (You know, with me making Amelia Bones a member of House Black). Once again, sorry for the delay in uploading.**

 **~ Ichabod Out**


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